


Arduous

by Sanoverel



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Abuse, Assault, Detective AU, F/F, F/M, Haphephobia, M/M, Poison, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rape, Sexual Assault
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-09 12:43:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6907786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sanoverel/pseuds/Sanoverel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since his brother’s apparent homicide, Mondo Oowada wanted to become a detective. He applied for an internship under Kyoko Kirigiri at Kirigiri Agencies, and soon finds himself handling his first case: The rape case of Ishimaru Kiyotaka, a young college student who was attacked and raped by an unknown student in the hallway. Soon the attack reappears, a few years later, and Mondo has to protect Ishimaru, for better or for worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Assault

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Eliza_Chikatta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliza_Chikatta/gifts).



> This work is not appropriate for those who have sensitivity to rape, sexual assault, physical assault, drugs, and alcohol. Please read carefully.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyotaka faces old demons. Dr. Togami is faced with the uncomfortable situation of swabbing him.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't scared. Because deep down he was terrified, frozen, and even his bones were shaking and about to break from the immense pressure that the situation was pushing onto his already fragile and recovering body.

He knew that voice. It had haunted him since he had begun suffering all those years ago from the assault. Something he never wanted to think of again. He wanted to get on with his life, become an important political figure, to marry a nice girl and have kids, to do what any normal adult just entering their new life would want to do.

But it had all been taken from him in one clean sweep, and now that nightmare was back for more, to harvest more of his life from him before he would be able to do anything. The fear returned itself into him, something that a few years of counseling had gotten rid of slowly.

“Ishimaru Kiyotaka. Surprise, Surprise.” That voice still, even three years later, shook him. Made him want to scream until he passed out. But if he passed out it meant certain doom for himself. And he knew, even in the dark hallway of Hope's Peak School of Law, that he recognized the man before him. The person who took his innocence years ago.

It was something he didn't like to talk about. He had to take a break for nearly a year to recover from last time, when he had first joined the college unsure of the path he would be taking for his life. And just when he had figured out...this man had appeared.

Kiyotaka had a date that afternoon. A girl his parents would be happy for him to marry in the near future. Smart, beautiful, and very polite. She was attractive as well, and she found him the same way. He was sure they'd have a future together. And upon returning from that date he found himself in the worse situation possible.

Hope's Peak had dark hallways all year round, even in summer, and they were especially dark at nighttime. Students often had problems finding their way to the dorms if they aren't present before ten o' clock, which he had not. And that was the perfect time for someone to catch him off guard.

In a flash, he felt a cloth being pushed against his mouth, the sickly-sweet scent of chloroform wafting through the air. He held his breath, trying not to breathe in the chemical as he flailed and fought his way from the larger man behind him with his arms wrapped so tightly around Kiyotaka's thick body. He had been smart, Kiyotaka told himself all these years. Because he had known exactly how to do it.

Kiyotaka threw his limbs, trying to contact his fists with the attacker. He felt his closed hand make contact with the thigh behind him, the man grunting out in pain, but he didn’t break his hold of Kiyotaka.

He had inhaled after holding his breath for too long, but he struggled as he tried to keep his consciousness. He would not let this man win. He knew what would happen to him if he succumbed to the drug. Sex trafficking. Rape. And worst case scenario: he would be murdered. But what he worried about most were the first two probabilities. He couldn't imagine those. Being forced as a sex slave, or even being traumatized and knowing that his body was going to be use in the most inappropriate and lewd way possible.

His mind was foggy from that point from the sweet scent of the date rape drug, but he couldn't manage his eyes to open or his body to move, despite his consciousness. He could still hear and smell, as well as feel, the man who was dragging him by his arms. It hurt, how roughly he was pulling him, but Kiyotaka knew he couldn't say a thing in the matter. The chloroform was still around his mouth, keeping him from escaping. And by this point he knew that escape was futile.

The first time it happened, Kiyotaka was traumatized. Ever since that moment he was constantly on guard. Weeks in isolation, using family members and friends as crutches as he struggled on through his life with the pain and experience of being assaulted. The thought of what happened that night sent chills down his spine. And until last year, that was his entire world.

Brought up by a rich, proud family, Kiyotaka Ishimaru had everything. His grandfather was prime minister of Japan, his father the head of the Japanese military, and his mother a profound news cohost. They all brought good reputation to the Ishimaru name. And Kiyotaka himself did as well. Highest in his classes, even skipping several grades, and was in almost every after school elective. He was valedictorian of his high school, a trade school where he learned law, and immediately was recruited by America’s state of the art law college Harvard.

But everything was thrown away in a moment. The attacker from his first year out of high school ruined everything for him and his family. After the attack, reporters looked deep into the history of the Ishimaru family. Government officials became worried of Torinosuke’s position as Prime Minister. With investigations, they found enough to impeach him; alleged crimes of spending the government’s money on Kiyotaka’s investigations.

His father Takaaki was urged to commit suicide in disgrace towards his father’s actions. He never completed those comments, but he had to step down from his position and become unemployed. The new military official forged information on keeping Takaaki out of the military and later into jail for failing to keep his father in line.

Kiyotaka’s mother, who was originally an American immigrant, was arrested and deported back to America where she lay in wait for a chance to return to the country she started a life in. Her place as a newscaster’s assistant was revoked and banned.

All of this happened in a year, a surprising rate. It took months of counseling and management, and Kiyotaka thought he finally had most of his old life back.

And yet again, this was thrown away in another moment when his attacker grabbed him with the drugged cloth.

Deep in his mind, he was conscious. He could feel everything happening to him. The pain as he was ripped apart and exploited for who knows what. His brain pounded with terrorizing thoughts and theories of what was happening to him in the outside world as he lay there unmoving. His body ravished and taken for granted.

Was this the same guy? Or was this an imposter? He couldn’t tell, nor did he want to know who was doing such an act to him. The last guy was never caught. No matter what the detective company did to find him, they couldn’t. No DNA sample could lead them to where the attacker was.

Well, that was mostly Kiyotaka’s fault, after all.

No one had told him not to shower after the incident. The first thing he did after being released last time was run home and shower. Showering himself of the disgusting feeling of hands and sweat. Even though it had hurt, he did the same with the ravished parts of his body.

When his mother found him sobbing in a heaped mess on the floor and he had explained what had happened, they had rushed to the doctor’s office to get him checked out. To see the samples of DNA inside of him. They were faint, too faint to have any lead to who had raped and assaulted him.

The damage was even more severe than emotional. Ribs were broken, his writing arm was damaged, and his intestines were damaged for several months. He had grown afraid of eating because of how much the after effects hurt so much.

For brief time, Kiyotaka could slightly see above him the man who was currently trying to use him for something sick. His face was hidden through the blindfolds over Kiyotaka’s eyes. He could only see from the chest down where he could see bare chest.

A scream ripped from his sore throat, tearing through the air with alarm. His attacker shushed him, giving him a kick to the groin. Kiyotaka yelled out once more, tears chocking his eyes and throat. Sobs broke through his body and he started writhing, trying to rid himself of the binds holding him down.

His tongue pressed against the cloth in his mouth, actively trying to remove it. It was tied around his jaw and was placed tightly into the cavity, making it hard for him to breathe. And he wouldn’t have, if not for his nose. His face and body burned with fear and hate.

The whole ordeal happened ten minutes. But it felt like centuries to the raven haired male.

And with this happening, he was back to square one. Everything was taken once more.

The next thing he clearly remembered was being woken up by his roommate Chihiro, who was standing in front of their dorm. He was dropped off back in front of his college dorm room where his roommate was looking fearfully over him.

“I-Ishimaru-kun! You woke up! I got so worried,” their timid voice called out to him, eyes flashing with worry and curiosity. Kiyotaka never remembered telling Chihiro what had happened, but he was sure that the brunette had already heard it from fellow classmates.

Upon seeing Chihiro, Kiyotaka’s eyes filled with unstoppable tears. More sobs tore through his fragile body as he tried steadying himself when Chihiro picked him up and carried him into their shared room. The lofts were too high for them to place Kiyotaka down, so they simply placed him on the mattress from when Chihiro’s best friend Leon stayed over.

“Are you okay? What happened? Do you need medical assistance?” The computer programmer was fumbling with their phone, fingers hovering over the number pad. They were prepared to call whoever was needed to help find out what happened to their roommate.

A gross mixture of tears and snot ran down the former prefect’s face, making a mess of everything. His throat felt dry and scratched, his nose was burning, and his eyes were too full of tears to see all that well. The trauma this time felt even worse than the last time it had happened. Kiyotaka found trouble trying to speak words that wanted to come out, to tell the worrying roommate about his condition, but his brain couldn’t form anything.

Chihiro momentarily placed their phone aside to take a look at Kiyotaka’s actual condition, rather than just asking, and was surprised to find the blood and other chemicals mixed on his clothing. One of the chemicals were linked to something Chihiro didn’t even want to think about, but the sight of blood brought alarm and bad thoughts to their mind. Kiyotaka flinched when Chihiro tried reaching their hands down to examine a particularly bad mark on his left leg, a large gaping gash that ran from his knee to his ankle. It wasn’t treated and oozing, probably prone to getting infected.

When his hand made contact with Kiyotaka’s left leg, the former prefect kicked out and made contact with Chihiro’s shoulder. The smaller cried out, their hand attending to grab their injured shoulder. They weren’t even mad about it, but they had plans forming in their mind of what was going on.

“Ishimaru-kun. Stay here,” they commanded, moving to their phone once. Kiyotaka watched as they crossed the small dorm room to grab the unattended phone, which’s screen was still on the dial pad. Their graceful fingers tapped against the Plexiglas screen. Moments later, the phone was pressed to their ear, ringing emitting from the device.

“Hello? Yes? Police? …My name is Chihiro Fujisaki. I’m here with my roommate Ishimaru Kiyotaka. …Yes, yes, I’m fine, but I’m not sure about Ishimaru-kun. …I found him outside our dorm room just a half hour ago, passed out.  I thought he went drinking with some friends and that he passed out before entering the dorm, but...he woke up crying and keeps flinching when I him. I think he may have been assaulted. ...He’s been gone all day up until the past hour. He left around three, I believe.”

There was a long moment of pause before Kiyotaka saw Chihiro nod and look in his general direction.

“…Maybe. He may not be the most stable. He wouldn’t even talk to me about it.”

There were a few more words and nods before Chihiro said their goodbye and hung the phone up.

“Ishimaru-kun…Can you stand? I can call Leon to help if you need, but I was told to take you to the emergency clinic downtown. Can you at least do that for me?”

He couldn’t find the energy to respond to Chihiro, his mind clogged with the thoughts that were overloading his system. The memories from last time, the events of this time, and the pain. It hurt to sit. It hurt to breathe. Every hole in his face burned and his ears rang uncontrollably. His breath was growing short and uneven. His body was starting to shut down.

“Ishimaru-kun!”

* * *

Bright white lights flooded Kiyotaka's eyes when he came to finally.  He wasn't entirely sure how long he'd been out, but quick thinking told him that he was in a hospital.  White was all around him.

Why was he in a hospital?  What had happened?  The last thing he remembered was...

Panic flooded his mind as he remembered the trauma he felt.  He felt helpless as the events came back to him in quick motions.  Kiyotaka immediately sat up and held his stomach, feeling a wave of nausea come over him.

It had happened again.  He couldn't believe it had happened again.  He couldn't believe he was helpless to stop it.

"Ishimaru-kun!"  Chihiro's gentle voice exclaimed in alarm from across the room.  The programmer scuffled to Kiyotaka's bedside, and reaching small hands to hover over Kiyotaka in a comforting gesture.  "Please calm down!  It's okay, you're safe."  Their voice sounded heavy with worry, worry for their roommate and best friend.  "Leon, page the doctor!"

Kiyotaka breathed in deeply, burning his lungs and sending tears to his eyes once more.  It stung.  Everything hurt.

He heard the sound of the intercom go off; Leon must be contacting the doctor as instructed.  The doctor was going to help him.  He was going to be okay.  They'd finally find this guy, he had DNA proof, everything was going to be alright.  This wasn't going to happen again.

The tears fell freely from his ruby eyes.  He was broken inside.  He had, yet again, had his life taken from him.  He would be ridiculed once more.  His family would be in an even bigger rut.  The Ishimaru name was ruined once more, and it was all because of him, just like it had been last time.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru was a true failure.

He hadn't even noticed Chihiro bring a chair over to his side to sit down.  He was really worrying his roommate, he knew that.  But the want to speak and the ability to speak were two different, opposing forces.  On one hand he wanted to assure his friend, the tiny programmer he had always found comfort in when it came to his problems.  But on the other hand, his mind and body were disconnected, and he could not will himself to even move.  He stared unblinking down at his hands digging daggers in his thighs.  The pain hurt, but it was nothing compared to the mental trauma racking his mind.

"I ask you sit in the waiting room while I deal with this, Kuwata and Fujisaki."  A middle range, almost borderline condescending voice appeared in the silence of the examination room.  Leon stood to leave, but Chihiro didn't move.

"Sir, please, I'm worried about my roommate, I want to make sure he's-"

"You'll just get in the way.  Leave now or I'll be forced to call security."

Kiyotaka made a mental note to lecture this person on their behavior towards others if he ever saw him again under a different circumstance.

Chihiro nodded, and quickly removed himself from the room.  The exchange put more stress on the programmer than he already had.  Kiyotaka, once again, felt bad.  When the door closed, Kiyotaka moved his head weakly to stare at the pair that had gathered in the room.  It wasn't just one person, it was two.

There was a short blonde man with white framed glasses covering dark cerulean eyes; and a taller, darker skinned male with brown eyes and brown hair fashioned into crazy dreadlocks.  Kiyotaka also made a note to lecture the doctor about his hairstyle.  It was unfit for being a doctor.

"Mr. Ishimaru," the blonde spoke, confirming to be the owner of the voice that spoke earlier.  "I am the designated examiner for Kirigiri Agencies; your insurance expressed you using this service before.  Is that correct?"

He dully nodded.  He hadn't heard the name Kirigiri Agencies in a long time.

He had a lot of experience with the agency.  They were the ones to deal with his case the last time.  It was where his detective and pen-pal Sakura Oogami worked as a field detective; she had been amazing as his detective.

They never found the man who did this to him.  The ties were too far and few in between.  Sakura tried her best, Kiyotaka knew that.  But he couldn't help but remember the disappointment he felt when he was told there was nothing they could do.

"Right.  While you were asleep, we ran a physical examination on your body."  Kiyotaka winced at the thought of being touched when he didn't give consent- it made tears fall freely from his eyes once more.  He quickly covered his mouth and closed his eyes.

"I promise you we didn't do anything to you while you were asleep, Ishimaru-kun," he heard the other doctor speak for the first time.   His voice was surprisingly airy.  "It's alright, just breathe."

Kiyotaka hadn't even noticed how erratic his breathing had become.  Someone in the room sighed.  "Put him on oxygen, Hagakure."

Hagakure, the name of the tall brunette, nodded curtly and moved to the other side of the bed away from the other Doctor.  He fished in the bedside cabinet and found what he was looking for; a simple oxygen tube, one of the ones you put in someone's nose.  It still allowed someone to talk while having it.

The former prefect didn't even move; he just allowed it to be placed into his nose and turned on.  He didn't really care about anything anymore.  A few moments of adjustment to the oxygen running through his nose passed before someone spoke again.

"Although we ran the physical examination, there was not much we could do in terms of assessment.  We need clarification on any injures you can remember or stand to remember.  By your reaction, my partner and I can guess what happened, but we can't act upon it unless you confirm it yourself."  The blonde doctor was just getting to the point, it seemed.

"I...I'm not sure the specifications of every injury I received.  I was asleep for half of it."

Hagakure and the other doctor shared a small whisper, soft enough to hide from Kiyotaka's detection.  The blonde cleared his throat again.

"Asleep?  Do you know how you fell asleep or why?"

"C-...Chloroform."

Hagakure spoke this time.  "How long were you under the effects of Chloroform?"  The blonde moved across the floor to reach the foot of the cabinets.  Kiyotaka's eyes didn't follow him.

"I...I don't know.  I just know that I was out the entire time."

Hagakure gave a brief glance to his companion, who came back carrying a small tray of items.  "Doctor Togami is going to run a few tests on you, including a blood test.  Is that okay with you?"

Kiyotaka weakly nodded.  Togami placed the tray on a metal cart next to the bedside.  Hagakure quickly joined Togami's side.

"Longtime exposure to chloroform can cause side effects including liver damage, nervous system damage, and many other long term effects.  Before we continue, we need to make sure you're free of that damage."

Kiyotaka scrunched forward and sighed.   This was going to be a long night; but it was what needed to be done.

He just hoped that he'd be brought justice this time.


	2. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo takes a look at his newest case and realizes the similarities between past events. No matter how many times he tells himself it's over, it's not.

"You've got your first case, detective." 

Mondo was only broken from his thoughts of paperwork and other distracting things when a loud thud sounded in front of him, rattling the desk and nearly causing the pencil to roll of onto the cement floor.  His purple eyes flickered up to stare at the large vanilla file folder sitting in front of him, nearly intimidating the large, buff detective.

Only small patches of light filtered into the dark, musty room.  The blinds were partially open and the lights were off in order to save money for the small detective agency that Mondo Oowada was currently working at.

“Senior detective Oogami had the case last year, but as you know, her and field detective Asahina are currently working on another important case.  She doesn’t have time to look into this case anymore.  She herself recommending that I give this case to you.”  The owner of the voice, the head of the detective agency Kyouko Kirigiri, gave him a knowing look before turning to the doorway where she before.

  
“I think it’ll be a good case for you.  It’s very befitting of…what had happened.”

The junior detective nearly fell out of his chair while trying to reach for the fallen pencil, needing to collect it before it somehow disappeared later.  It was his fifth pencil that past week and it was only Wednesday.  He had nearly lost a pencil every day; he can’t let that happen again.

“Whatever ya say, Kirigiri,” he responded in a casual manor towards his boss.  If it were any place else, he wouldn't have been able to slide with his speaking habits.  He knew for a fact that Kirigiri didn’t care about how he acted around her.  She had seen worse during her work as detective.  “Is this a full report on the case?  Why is it being brought back up all of a sudden?”

The lavender eyed teen turned her head, body following suit, to stare at Mondo.  Her face was neutral as she tried to come up with an explanation of what she wanted to say.  Kirigiri had to say it precise and exact for Mondo to understand what she meant.

“In 2013, college student Ishimaru Kiyotaka was raped by an unknown attacker.  They were never found, and all of a sudden, three years later, they reappeared and did the same thing yesterday night at around 10:34 PM.  In the hallways of Hope Peak’s School of Law, a place I’m sure you’re familiar with.”  She turned all of her body, knee high boots clacking against the concrete floor.  “The files I have given you contain all information from the last case and the current medical reports of the victim’s state.  If you need, I can contact Fukawa to schedule your meeting with the man.”

  
“You don’t have to babysit me anymore, Kirigiri,” he responded, placing the pencil behind his ear.  His unoccupied hand simultaneously reached for the folder, opening the first flap and glancing over the pages, skimming and not understanding anything said.  “I’ll be back to you about tomorrow afternoon on when I can meet the dude.”

Kirigiri gave him a rare smile and turned her back to him once more, her lavender hair glowing in the dark room.  “I believe you’ll do well on this case, Oowada.”

Mondo’s eyes were still looking over the documents in the file folder, now trying to analyze and look through the information thoroughly.  He didn’t even register Kirigiri closing his office door and leaving.

It seemed so interesting.  May 24th, 2013.  It brought back bad memories for him, but he shrugged it off and tried to concentrate on the work in front of him.  The victim had been cornered in a public park, gagged, and then assaulted with rape and physical harm…

He immediately slammed the folder’s front and stared towards the picture on his office wall.  A man with dark ebony hair and piercing purple eyes was behind the glass and trapped by the frame, seeming to stare at Mondo mockingly.

“…He’s just like you, Daiya.” 

No matter how drunk he had gotten, Mondo could not get the thought of Daiya off of his mind.  His brother, murdered in cold blood when attending the infamous Hope's Peak School of Law.  The body found inside of the auditorium, strung up on the stage lights.  They had to lower his body to be found; the news was never released to the public.  Mondo had been the one to find the body after all.  No student ever knew of his death.

The police reported it as a suicide, but Mondo knew better.

If it hadn't been for his drive for revenge, Mondo would have never been able to become a detective.  His internship under Kirigiri happened because he had constantly tried to find evidence and clues leading to Daiya's death.  Truth was that Mondo fit in well with the underground black market, but that was a secret that only the two of them shared together.

Mondo scowled, pushing the folder aside out of frustration.  He needed to read the case, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.  It brought back too many bad memories for him to stomach.  Maybe after lunch break.  Maybe then he could focus...

Abruptly he stood, throwing his leather swivel chair under his dark wood desk and grabbing his office door keys.  He needed to get out.  The idea of this case was pressuring him too much.  Sure, he had dealt with other murder and rape cases before, but how could he stomach the idea that this particular one could be connected to Daiya?  It seemed unfinished and hassled, but none the less similar. 

When investigating with Kirigiri during Daiya's case, they discovered pieces of evidence that pointed to the original assault and rape of his brother.  With the found information, they went to the pathologist in charge of the autopsy report.  Doctor Togami couldn't find the DNA sample from Daiya, but he could find a rupture on the pelvic bone signaling a violent assault to either his lower back or his intestines.  Chances pointed more towards the latter option, which in turn destroyed Mondo's mind even more than before. 

What if the assailant of this case didn't have enough time to be able to murder and stash the body of their current victim?  What if this case was going to end up being the same as Daiya's?

Mondo slammed the heavy door to his office, rustling the keys to lock the door.  Their work had to be secret from outsiders; the press, other detectives, and citizens.

The hallways of the detective agency were long and narrow, each wall seeming to grow smaller and smaller as Mondo continued down the path.  Each office door was decorated with a window looking into the room, even some of the walls sporting windows that allowed for a more open view, much like his own.  There were only three doors that didn't contain windows on them—the bathrooms and Kirigiri's office.  Kirigiri dealt with the most difficult cases that often were dangerous and uncontrollable.  Therefor her work needed to remain as secret as possible.

Nothing fit together right in the building.  The main offices were at the front were reception was while every unimportant office was towards the back.  Besides the hallway, there was no other wing in the small suburban business, making it mostly an oblong shape, aside from the width of the reception and sitting area.

Finally finished with all of the surrounding offices, Mondo entered the lounging area and breathed, his breathing and heart rate finally slowing down to match the normal rate.  It hadn't happened in months, but the fear of a panic attack ran through him.  Daiya affected him too much to be able to handle.

"Taking another breather, Oowada?" one of the receptionists asked.  Mondo paused a moment before turning to stare at the other, giving them a hard look. 

"Is that a problem, Makoto?"  His voice was sharp and accusatory with stress.  He was positive a voice crack happened somewhere in that sentence. 

"No, I didn't say it as a problem.  I know how much you've been working lately, so I was just asking if you needed another break!" he responded, face twisting into a surprised expression.  The teen brought his hands to his chest, waving them back and forth to signal no.  "I'm sorry if that came off rude.  There was no ill intention."

"Damn straight I took it that way."  Mondo raised his arm to grab his own hair, running his stubby fingers through the mop of honey brown and black hair.  Before Daiya's death, it used to be in an insanely cool pompadour.  It was Mondo's favorite hair style.  Now, with his hair fried from bleach, he couldn't pull off the hair style anymore.  "Watch your language next time, kid.

"Yes, I'm sorry," he nodded with correspondence, lowering his hands to his side.  "Are you planning on going anywhere?"

"Not at the moment, no.  I think I'm just going to take a lunch break here."  He sighed, raspy throat affecting the way he breathed in and out.  He coughed into his elbow a few times, ridding his throat of mucus and other nuisances.  "Can you run back to grab my lunch, Makoto?  It's the one in the brown paper bag.  Bottom shelf, I think."

Makoto grabbed his silver mouse, sliding it across the table a few times to close tabs on the computer and save needed files.  It took a few moments to finish saving and closing programs, but eventually he stood up and pushed his chair under the desk.  The sound of wood sliding against tile was the only sound in the office space as he stood to his feet.

"I think I'll actually have lunch with you, Oowada.  If you don't mind."  Makoto shot him a small smile before turning into the back room, the back of his body visible from the doorway.  Curious, Mondo stepped towards the door and watched Makoto retrieve both of their lunches; the brunette surprised as he pulled a soggy, partially deteriorated lunch bag full of...something.

"Oowada, is this what you eat for lunch?" Makoto asked with a scowl, his face twisted into disgust at the sight of the bag.  Mondo was sure he was contemplating what could possibly be inside something so appalling. 

"Usually.  Never said I could cook."  Mondo crossed the break room and snatched his lunch bag from Makoto, holding the brown paper in one hand.  A few liquid drops fell to the floor.  Makoto shuttered.

"What...even is that?" he asked, and Mondo knew that he was afraid for the upcoming answer.  But honestly, Mondo knew he couldn't give one.  At this point, he didn't even know what was thrown into his lunch bag.  Whatever it was had an ungodly stench to it.  Had he just haphazardly thrown something into his bag?

"To be honest, I don't think I even know," Mondo responded, shrugging his shoulders before strutting to the trashcan and dropping its contents into the trash bin.  "It should probably go in the chemical waste pile.  If we had one, that is."

"Do you eat that for lunch every day?" Makoto obviously seemed concerned for his coworker.  How great.

At this point, Mondo couldn't care what ended up in his work lunches.  The other day was some cheese thrown onto some bread paired with a half-rotting apple.  One day was nearly moldy take out left-overs from McDonalds.  He didn't have enough time to worry about what he was eating.

"Just about."

"...How are you not dead?  That sounds horrible!" the receptionist gasped audibly. Makoto threw up his hand to stop Mondo in the middle of a sentence he wasn't speaking, causing Mondo to laugh at his reaction. 

"I've got a strong stomach.  I've eaten worse before, trust me.  Ever tried my mother's spring rolls?  Daiya and I used to call them surprise rolls."  Mondo stopped his laugh to think of the next thing to say, the thought of Daiya crossing his mind once more.  He could never escape the thought of him...  "We used to never know what was in them.  It was the same with her croquets.  Was that even meat?"

In comparison from earlier, Mondo's facial expression turned back towards neutral, the slightest hint of hurt flashing in his brilliant purple eyes.  Makoto took a second to respond, wanting to give Mondo a moment.

"We should go out to eat, then.  My treat.  Just let me go tell Kirigiri we'll be out."

"I'm fine.  Don't worry about me.  I'll just get some water and coffee before returning to work.  Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, Makoto."  Mondo sighed with a heavy chest, his posture slouching and lacking in radiance as he walked over to the water cooler stationed next to the refrigerator.  His hand reached in the freezing ice, the feeling of the cold chunks gathering around his wrists and causing him to shiver.  Pushing his discomfort aside, Mondo grasped a water bottle and pulled it out from under the layer of ice.  The bottle dripped crystal droplets of water.  Each drop landed onto the tile floor and shined with a strange radiance in the office kitchen’s lights.

"Wait, Mondo-"  the blonde didn't even acknowledge his plea, but he continued anyway, "At least eat something edible from now on, okay?  I'm worried about your health."

He didn't even stop at the coffee machine like he had announced before.  Makoto tried to say something to him as he exited the room, but he decided against it. He knew he was just chasing impossible dreams and decisions.  Besides; he knew what it was like to lose a sibling and wanting to seek revenge.

The halls seemed even more depressing as Mondo scaled through them once more, each door mocking his every failure.  No matter how many times he tried to rid his mind of the thought of Daiya, he failed.  Daiya was constantly in front of him, scene being replayed like a broken record.  It was always stuck on that part.  Why did it happen to him?

Who had such a vendetta against him that it caused the torture and death of his brother?  His brother, the kindest man in the world.  Gentle eyes, a warm face, and such a fitting personality.  No matter what, he had been there for Mondo.  When their mother had died, he was there, barely out of high school when he got his first full time job.  Meanwhile, Mondo had been stealing and selling drugs, something Daiya had freaked out about after hearing it the first time.

Daiya, the man who had done everything in his little brother's interests.  Everything to get his brother the perfect education.  And yet, when Mondo had needed him most, Daiya disappeared, leaving the anguish and sorrow behind with Mondo. 

His pace towards his office sped up, the need to break down becoming more of a need than a want.  Mondo's chest beat like a drum, panic settling inside of his stomach.  Sweat rolled down his face and vision blurry, shapes starting to turn and twist into nightmarish fantasies.

He fumbled for his keys, each piece of metal clacking against each other as he hastily unlocked the door.  It took a few times, each fail bringing more panic, but eventually it flew open.  Without a second to spare, Mondo slammed his office door shut.

Tears had started to flow from his eyes, each drop landing on the wooden floors of his office.  His back pressed against the door, he slid down the wood and into a sitting position.

It had been years since he had cried; Daiya's funeral being the last.

* * *

Kirigiri had finished her work for the day.  It wasn't a heavy workload compared to some days, but it was enough to keep her busy for most of the day.  The lavender haired detective stepped into the vacant receptionist area, her eyes scanning the dark black chairs and deep purple carpet with a tired look.

"You're out earlier than usual," Makoto called from across the room.  She turned her head to the side to stare at his form. He was sitting at his receptionist desk, arms crossed over the surface, black slouched, with a similar tired look.  Kirigiri glanced to the clock next to his keyboard; 7 pm.  She'd been cooped up in her office for over 14 hours.

Makoto stood up from his desk and gave her a small, knowing smile.  She returned the light gesture, only slightly, and walked into the glass container adjacent to her left.  They hadn't seen each other all day.  Usually Kirigiri could expect Makoto to sneak into her office at least once a day to bother him about lunch.  

"You didn't show up in my office today."

"O-oh!  Yeah, I'm so sorry about that Kyoko, I didn't mean-"

"It's fine.  You're acting like you did something wrong.  I don't mind."  She watched as his body language changed to that of relief.  He was always so easy to calm, but always so easy to work up.  That's just the kind of person Makoto was, she supposed.  "What were you doing all day?"

Makoto gave her a smile, but she could tell from his warm eyes that something was wrong.  She didn't like seeing him upset.  "The usual.  I organized my files, checked clients in, and had lunch with Oowada."

"You had lunch with Detective Oowada?" Kirigiri was surprised.  She knew the two went to high school together, but never knew they had some level of camaraderie.  "I've never heard of that happening before."  Makoto gave a sheepish, nervous grin and absently rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, it was more of...He got his food, we talked for a few moments, and then he left.  He was in a real hurry too."  There was a distant look again.  Something was definitely wrong.

"By the look on your face, he said something bad to you."

"No!  Not at all!" Makoto corrected her as quickly as he could.  "It's...not like that.  It's more of what he didn't tell me. I'm just worried for him, that's all."  Even if he wasn't the closest of friends with someone, leave it up to Makoto to do nothing but worry about them.  Kirigiri adored that about him, she supposed.

All of her life, she had lacked compassion.  Her grandfather lacked compassion.  Her mother lacked compassion.  Everyone and everything was vacant, unemotional, and serious.  Her childhood had been the standard in terms of being provided necessity, but never once was she showed the care that other children were shown.  From a young age she was coined as a prodigy child.  Intelligent, easily rising in the ranks of her classmates, and graduating at an extremely early age of 14.

Ever since then, she was forced to work diligently in her grandfather's career of choice.  The Kirigiris had been the most popular detective agency in the country since the 1950s when this kind of work flourished.  Now a days, the police handled most of the crime cases, but there was still a demand for regular detectives.  While she was a live, she'd make sure of it.  But growing up with no social life made managing one now a days a lot harder than she'd like to admit.  It was hard to read obvious social cues.

"I wouldn't worry.  Detective Oowada is strong willed.  He can do anything he puts his mind to.  He's a wonderful detective," she reassured him with the warmest smile she could manage.  In a comforting gesture, she placed her gloved hand over the bare skin of his hand.  Makoto gave her a loving smile.

"I know he is.  He's one of the best in the business, aside from you.  To solve a case with no previous detective experience is astounding."  The look returned to his face once more, to Kirigiri's annoyance.  "But I was...referring to his mental health, you know?"

His mental health.  Of course Makoto was referring to his mental health.

"That is something to be concern of, I agree.  I've offered for him to have regular visits with Asahina, but he's refused all of them.  His strong will carries with other parts of him, sadly."  Makoto was about to respond, but Kirigiri raised her hand to silence him.  "But, I know he can pull through.  Besides, I believe a recent case I've assigned him may help him get over whatever parts of him that are still suffering.  He'll always have the memory in the back of his mind, of course, but this may be cathartic for him." 

"I hope, for his sake, that's the case."

 


	3. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ishimaru arrives, Naegi is in the middle of a confusing mix up, and Mondo tries way too hard to be cool.

Kiyotaka had arrived a few minutes short of ten o’ clock.  Ever since highschool, he had been known for being poignant and passionate about the rules.  He had resolved to loosen up before his high school graduation, but old habits died hard with him.

His roommate Chihiro had asked him if he was going to be okay on his own traveling to the detection agency, and it took nearly ten minutes to calm them.  Ever since the event a week ago, Chihiro and his friend Leon had been overly protective of the prefect.  Not that Kiyotaka blamed them- he would be the same in their situation.

Before coming to the detective agency, Kiyotaka had met again with his arranged girlfriend for breakfast.  She was annoyed with his sudden lack of freetime, and he had offered to take her to a nice outing together.  She had begged him to spend time with her after their breakfast, but he had to decline her offer.  It made her mad, and he knew that, but nothing much could be done about him.

Oogami had been reasonable in adjusting her time the last time they worked together, but Kiyotaka had heard that her time lately had been preoccupied.  He didn’t want to be even more of a burden than he already was.

His fingers lightly pressed against the glass door as he pressed it opened.  His ruby eyes ventured to stare over the detective agency waiting room he hadn’t seen in years; it was polished, fully furnished, and not even a magazine page was out of line.  Rather than being out in the open, the reception desks were covered with thick glass.  The once homely building resembled more of a prison office than he liked to admit, but regardless, it hadn’t changed much at all.

Kiyotaka smiled and stepped inside the building, the familiar smell of drywall and lavender hitting his sensitive nose.  Everything was as calming as he remembered.

Rather than one receptionist, two sat on opposite sides of the glass, working diligently on filing paperwork.  The last time he had visited, there had only been one, and it was a joy to see him again.

Makoto waved him through the glass to come over.  Kiyotaka smiled and nodded, then made his way over to the glass pane covering his old high school friend.

“Hey, Ishimaru!” Makoto’s cheerful voice greeted the taller male.  The other receptionist, a girl with black twin braids, cautiously glanced over their way before quickly burying herself in work again.  Ishimaru only noticed her from the corner of his eyes but saw her look none the less.  “What are you doing here?  I haven’t seen you in years, man!”

“I have a scheduled appointment with Mrs. Oogami today,” he stated, trying to replicate the same amount of friendliness in the receptionist’s voice.  He had felt terrible all week; feigning happiness was near impossible at his point. 

Makoto’s face dropped as he took in Kiyotaka’s sentence.  “M-Mrs. Oogami?”  Kiyotaka cocked an eyebrow before turning down to look over his clipboard.  The brunette shifted between different clipped papers for a few moments as if trying to look for something.  Eventually he found it and looked up to Kiyotaka.

“Ishimaru…Sakura- Mrs. Oogami isn’t supposed to be here for another few weeks.”

Kiyotaka’s eyes widened.  She wasn’t even here, and yet he got an email telling him to meet here to discuss what had happened.

After his sessions with Doctor Togami and Doctor Hagakure, his next step was to visit the Detective Agency.  How was he to do that if his prime detective wasn’t even available?

“She isn’t?  But I got an email telling me to meet here.”

“Right…I have record of that,” Makoto confirmed.  He quickly stared down at scribbled papers again, searching once again for information lost within thousands of words.  A minute of awkward silence passed before Makoto raised his head again to look at Kiyotaka.  They both clearly looked distressed.  “Let me try and contact Kirigiri.  Stay put.”

Makoto turned to click a small speaker device behind his desk.  The air vibrated with the sound of ringing for a few seconds before it clicked, signaling the other end connected.

“Kyoko?” Makoto spoke as soon as it turned on. 

“What is it, Makoto?  I’m in the middle of a client right now.”

Kiyotaka could hear the faint sound of crying on the other end.  Whatever was going on, he was interrupting it, and it made him feel terrible.  He wasn’t the only one in pain and seeking assistance.

“I’m sorry for interrupting,” Makoto quickly apologized.  “But we have a bit of a problem.  Ishimaru is here.  He said he received an email to talk with Sakura, but it says on the case logs she’s been out for weeks and isn’t coming back for another few.  What am I supposed to do?” 

The other end of the line was silent for awhile longer.  The suspension of his case was killing Kiyotaka on the inside.  What if he had to wait out those next few weeks?  Going so long, knowing the assailant was scot free with no repercussions and wouldn’t be facing them for a while…it killed him on the inside.  He felt his heart drop into his chest.

“I’m sending out Detective Oowada.  He’ll handle it.  Thank you for contacting me, Makoto.”

“No, thank you, Kyoko.  You’re a life saver.” Makoto pressed the same button he pressed again, cutting off the receiver. “It seems you have a new detective.”

A new detective?  They set him with an unfamiliar person, one who didn’t experience the last case?

He wondered how much the new detective had been informed on the case.  Did they expect Kiyotaka to explain the events of the last one in full detail?  Would he have to relive past scars alongside his present wounds?  His stomach began to churn again.

Kiyotaka found himself upset.  He had grown fond of Oogami over the parting years.  Despite no longer having to communicate for job reasons, they occasionally caught up with each other through email.  She had been promoted to a field detective a few months back, but Kiyotaka didn’t know that meant she wouldn’t be able to work on his case!

Kiyotaka had even spent a few nights for dinner in her apartment, back when the case was active.  Her girlfriend, the therapist Asahina, brought home take out for them all to enjoy as they talked, watching movies, and sat in the living room on the floor.  It was like a sleep over- but with your detective who was trying to protect you.  And only until you had to return to your dorms for classes the next morning.

A knock on the glass caused Kiyotaka to jump in surprise.  He hadn’t been paying attention, and therefor didn’t notice the unfamiliar man standing beside Makoto on the other side of the glass.

“This him?” the low, unfamiliar voice asked.  Makoto gave a polite smile and nodded in response to the stranger’s question.  The two seemed on good terms.  Was this the detective?

Kiyotaka’s eyes traced up and down the unfamiliar figure.  He didn’t…look like a detective.  The tall figure had long brunette hair with frosted tips, and it was obvious his hair had been fried from constant bleaching.  Through the mop of hair, piercing purple eyes stared at him.  His outfit was basic; a simple white polo adorned with a simple black suit jacket, and baggy black pants collecting at the ankles.  This wasn’t the attire Kiyotaka expected of a detective, let alone anyone in a government position.

  
“Alright.  Come with me.”

Kiyotaka gulped as he watched the detective- Oowada, was it? - make his way behind the reception desks to exit the glass container.  Willing his feet to move, Ishimaru stepped quickly after him, having to take big steps to catch up.  Soon, the two were walking shoulder to shoulder back into the depths of the Detective Agency.

“M’name is Detective Oowada,” he muttered lazily.  Whoever the man before him was, he looked sleep deprived.  Did he have other important cases to tackle?  Was Kiyotaka’s a burden to him?    What other cases from Oogami did he have to take?  “I’m sorry I’m not who you’re used to.”

“It’s…” No problem?  Was it really no problem?  Kiyotaka wasn’t sure if he could place his trust in someone who seemed so casual, so disinterested.  “okay.”

He just had to place his trust in Kirigiri for picking the correct guy.

They stopped in front of the farthest door from the entrance, Oowada hovering over the lock as he fumbled with the keys at his side.  To have so many, he must be one of the main detectives in the agency!

Perhaps he could be trustworthy afterall…

The door flung open after struggling against the key, opening to reveal a cluttered office.

Or maybe he wasn’t.

They both stood there for a few more seconds before Oowada motioned Kiyotaka inside his office.  The former prefect hesitated, not sure if he wanted to enter or not.

“Ladies first,” Oowada mused.   Kiyotaka threw him an intense, uncomfortable stare before pushing past him and storming into the office.  He was making jokes in this kind of hard situation?

The office, despite it’s clutter, was partially organized.  Books and papers were stacked in every which direction, but they were at least stacked, and in piles.  Nothing was strewn on the floor, besides a few pencils Kiyotaka noticed collecting under the shelf across from the door.

“All joking aside,” Oowada spoke, interrupted Kiyotaka’s train of thought.  “I take my job very seriously and I will work as hard as I can on your case.”

Kiyotaka never had to be reaffirmed he would be entrusted in safe hands.  He always just assumed safety would come from those in position.

Something about this new Detective offset him, and he wasn’t sure if he could pinpoint one thing.  Or pinpoint anything specific, really.

Kiyotaka managed a nod.  “Thank you.  I am grateful, Detective.” he said, thankful his voice was sound and steady.  Detective Oowada smiled.

“No problem.  It’s my job as a Detective to figure out what happened to the innocent and bring the blackened to justice.”  Kiyotaka couldn’t help but snicker.  Somehow, that line didn’t fit him, almost as if he was reading a script.  “And by the way, call me Mondo.  Detective _anything_ sounds too formal fer me.”  Ah, that sounded more like him.

“It’s nice to meet your acquaintance, Mondo.”  The faux blonde shot him a bright smile.  ‘Thank you for taking my case.”

“Again, no need to thank me.”  Mondo laughed and plopped into the swivel chair behind his desk.  Out of everywhere in the room, the desk was filled with the most paper, scattered pens, and broken pencils.  Broken pencils?  That was weird.  The detective leaned back and threw his feet on the desk.  Kiyotaka winced at the noise of disturbed papers and the pressured structure of the other’s desk.

“As a detective, I believe in companionship between the detective and their client.  It makes things easier to discuss and understand, ya know?  I’ve always found it easier to talk to friends than strangers.”  Mondo stared down at his black painted nails as if mentally picking the grout from underneath worn nails.  “I want you to know there’s nothing to fear of me, despite my damned appearance.  I get complaints from a lot of clients.  They say I look too much like a delinquent; well, I tell ya, that actually comes in handy,” he murmured, his once cheerful face resembling annoyance and disgust.  At himself?  At the aforementioned clients?  Kiyotaka wasn’t sure.  Mondo was hard to read.

“I understand.  I assure you, there are no problems I hold with you, Oowada.”

Mondo rolled his eyes at Kiyotaka’s formalness.  Kiyotaka would have usually found this gesture offensive, but somehow, he felt his worries disappear.   Mondo was right about the casual atmosphere being calming.

“That’s good.”  Mondo lurched forward to return to his normal seating position, relieving his chair of the heavy weight pressed against the back of it’s frame.  The detective stifled a yawn with his hand and stared at Kiyotaka with his warm purple eyes, giving the former prefect a sense of serenity.  “If you’re settled enough, I’d like to get to talking about the case.”

Kiyotaka shuttered, the memories coming back in quick succession.  He had pushed the thoughts down into his subconscious the entire week and having the relieve the memories once more left him feeling restless.  When he was nervous, he fidgeted.  He had barely lifted his leg to readjust his position when Mondo spoke again.

“I know recalling the events may seem fuckin’ hard as shit,” Kiyotaka chose to ignore the detective’s language, “but think about the result.  It’s just one step closer to getting this sick bastard behind bars.”  Kiyotaka nodded nervously.  With all his mental strength, he tried to recess the returning feelings of dread once more and began to calm down.

“You’re right.  I apologize for becoming nervous again.”

“What?  No need to apologize.  It’s a traumatic event; I don’t expect you to just get over it.  In time, maybe, but right now you’re still fresh in the memory.  If any detective expects you to get over it, tell them to meet me behind the McDonalds located on 75th street so I can kick their ass.”  Something about the vulgarity of his detective was cathartic?   Almost as if Mondo was expressing the anger and disappointment that Kiyotaka had felt for the past week.

“As long as someone can sentence this bastard to jail,” Kiyotaka swore under his breath.  It felt…good!

“Whoa whoa, kid.  Leave the adult language to us professionals, aight?”  Mondo laughed inbetween his words.   He was obviously trying to suppress most of his laughing.  Kiyotaka felt terrible.  “Besides, it doesn’t suit you.  Your file says you’re graduating from Hope’s Peak Law Firm next spring.  There’s no need for you to try and fit in with the licentious crowd.”

The detective had a point.  Kiyotaka found himself unable to speak, but one question rang in his mind.

“If I may, sir.”  Kiyotaka wanted to confirm he was able to ask questions.  Mondo closed his eyes and responded with a simple hum.  “I want to know why it took so long for the detective agency to contact me regarding the situation.”

"I just got the case files yesterday.  It usually only takes a day since the physical examination to receive the case."

"This...happened over a week ago."

Mondo’s purple eyes widened in concern.  “A w-week?” he stammered.  “Kirigiri never goes that long without contacting a client to assign them to a detective.”  The brunette sat in silence, clearly deep in thought, trying to come up with an answer.

The former prefect found his response concerning and began to grow worried again.

“If I had to guess, I’d say it has to do with your old Detective being MIA.”  MIA?  Makoto had said she was on job!  His expression grew panicked at the thought.  “Whoa calm down, not that kind of MIA.  It’s…a form of expression.”  Thank goodness.  Although he had plenty of friends, Kiyotaka was still unsure of modern conversationalist trends.

“She and Asahina, who’s our therapist and one of our field detectives, took a case to uncover the mysterious murders over at a local highschool.  Two of their female students were murdered during a...creepy fuckin’ ghost ritual, and they’re trying to uncover who it is.  There’s also evidence to suggest other female students are in trouble, so they’re expecting a serial killer.”

Kiyotaka nodded.  He had indeed seen this information in the news and could tell Mondo was holding back a large sum of information.  More than likely, the actual details of the case.  He was glad Oogami was assigned to such an important case!  He would have to congratulate her over the phone.

“Now,” Mondo continued without hesitation.  Kiyotaka hadn’t even been paying attention!  “Please, Kiyotaka, explain to me the events of last week.  Don’t leave any details open.”

* * *

 

_Kiyotaka had a date that afternoon. A girl his parents would be happy for him to marry in the near future. Smart, beautiful, and very polite. She was attractive as well, and she found him the same way. He was sure they'd have a future together. And upon returning from that date he found himself in the worse situation possible._

_..._

_In a flash, he felt a cloth being pushed against his mouth, the sickly-sweet scent of chloroform wafting through the air. He held his breath, trying not to breathe in the chemical as he flailed and fought his way from the larger man behind him with his arms wrapped so tightly around Kiyotaka's thick body. He had been smart, Kiyotaka told himself all these years. Because he had known exactly how to do it._

_Kiyotaka threw his limbs, trying to contact his fists with the attacker. He felt his closed hand make contact with the thigh behind him, the man grunting out in pain, but he didn’t break his hold of Kiyotaka._

_His mind was foggy from that point from the sweet scent of the date rape drug, but he couldn't manage his eyes to open or his body to move, despite his consciousness. He could still hear and smell, as well as feel, the man who was dragging him by his arms. It hurt, how roughly he was pulling him, but Kiyotaka knew he couldn't say a thing in the matter. The chloroform was still around his mouth, keeping him from escaping. And by this point he knew that escape was futile._

_..._

_For brief time, Kiyotaka could slightly see above him the man who was currently trying to use him for something sick. His face was hidden through the blindfolds over Kiyotaka’s eyes. He could only see from the chest down where he could see bare chest._

_A scream ripped from his sore throat, tearing through the air with alarm. His attacker shushed him, giving him a kick to the groin. Kiyotaka yelled out once more, tears chocking his eyes and throat. Sobs broke through his body and he started writhing, trying to rid himself of the binds holding him down._

_His tongue pressed against the cloth in his mouth, actively trying to remove it. It was tied around his jaw and was placed tightly into the cavity, making it hard for him to breathe. And he wouldn’t have, if not for his nose. His face and body burned with fear and hate._

_The whole ordeal happened ten minutes. But it felt like centuries to the raven haired male._

_..._

_The next thing he clearly remembered was being woken up by his roommate Chihiro, who was standing in front of their dorm. He was dropped off back in front of his college dorm room where his roommate was looking fearfully over him._

* * *

 

"I have a few questions for you, Kiyotaka, if you can manage it."

The tears were running freely from the former prefect's eyes at the recall of the story.  He couldn't even properly remember a lot of important details; he just wanted to block this entire situation from his mind.  He was tired, mentally and emotionally.  He just wanted to peace again.

He nodded his head hesitantly.  Mondo gave him a sympathetic look.

"You mentioned seeing the culprit's chest.  Would you mind describing it, if possible?"  Kiyotaka looked at him with starking, frightened ruby eyes.  Mondo raised both his hands to signal a slow down.  "At your own pace.  And remember, you can with hold as much information as you need."

His attacker's physique?  He never really considered it before, let alone been able to remember it.  

"I don't know."

Mondo closed his eyes and sighed.  Kiyotaka felt useless all over again.  He was no help.

"You mentioned you were with your girlfriend before hand.  Do you know if she followed you to the dorm?"

"She did not; I made sure to drop her off at her house before returning home.  She has not been harmed in anyway," Kiyotaka answered, despite Mondo not asking.

"One more clarifying question.  Do you know if your school's dorms have cameras?"

Kiyotaka's eyes widened.  Cameras!  He never really considered the cameras before.  "I believe we do."  There was hope for this after all!  The cameras surely would have picked up the sight of the assault!  Mondo gave him a triumphant grin.

"I guess I'll be visiting your dorm here soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating? What's that? I, an intellectual, prefer to leave my readers with nothing but prologues and abandon a project.
> 
> Jokes aside, I updated Arduous! Finally. I worked on so many chapters but never proof read them and posted them, so I guess I'll do that now I'm in a writing mood.
> 
> The mention of the serial killer is a reference to the third DR game. If you haven't seen it yet, then well, I decided to leave the character names out of the picture. You'll probably forget that reference by the time you go to actually play the game. If you do understand the reference, then well, just know that I will kick your ass if you spoil it for others in the comments. >:c This page is a seesaw free zone.
> 
> I'm actually going to update; don't worry. I said I would, and I am.


	4. Enmity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyotaka adores his new girlfriend. Chihiro and Leon do not.

The meeting with Detective Oowada went a lot…smoother than Kiyotaka had originally thought.

Although conversations with Mondo seemed easy, tolerable, and overall relaxing to be apart of, they dripped with unprofessionalism and lacked structure.  As he originally had suspected, Mondo’s greeting words to him were in fact scripted, if Makoto’s attempt to stifle a laugh when Kiyotaka responded to his question about how they become introduced had anything to say about it.  His style of detective work was unconventional, almost impossible to imagine coming from somebody who was supposed to represent the highest of societal standards.

But to say their conversation was bad would be a complete lie, and Kiyotaka Ishimaru wasn’t one to lie.  Mondo was blunt, yes, but he was anything but cold and inattentive when he listened to Kiyotaka.  He was responsive, quick to write things down, and overall empathetic towards the former prefect.

He could do without the cussing, though.  The constant curse words flying from his mouth seemed unnecessary, and in hindsight, made Kiyotaka cringe at the memory of it all.  He had heard curse words before, but never so many in such a short span of time.  This was a definite new record.

_“I’ll do everything in my power to….to catch this guy.”  Mondo’s fingers were tightly clenching the wooden pencil in his hand, the object completely at the mercy of his growing anger.  “To think this piece of shit could even think about pulling something like that twice.”_

_Kiyotaka looked towards the floor, his ruby eyes trying to avoid angered purple orbs.  He had never heard of a detective losing their cool over a case that seemed trivial compared to some of the ones Kiyotaka was sure he had to deal with every day.  Rape was traumatic, but nothing compared to a hostage situation, a kidnapping, or god forbid murder._

_Mondo slammed his hand on the table, jolting Kiyotaka from his position in the chair.  His back straightened in reflex, and he stared right in to the cold purple eyes of Detective Oowada.  "I promsie you I'll get you the justice you deserve, Kiyotaka."_

_He shared the same hopes and dreams, but somewhere, in the deep depths of Kiyotaka's mind, he knew that it was almost impossible to catch the guy.  The sentiment was appreciated, however.  The former prefect darted his eyes to stare at the stack of notes the detective had just taken- almost three pages, he guessed- and made a mental note about Mondo's personality in regards to his handwriting.  It was messy, almost illegible, but seemed to really fit the "intellectual" jock vibe he was starting to get with Mondo._

_...Intellectual could be applied to Detective Oowada, right?  He barely knew the guy, and he seemed to have at least common sense, but something radiated from Mondo that told Kiyotaka that he didn't have the best grades in Highschool.  Perhaps it was the lack of Honors Society certificates on the barren walls of his office.  There wasn't even an official document stating he graduated from a school to be a detective._

_"Thank you, Detective Oowada-"_  
  
_"Just Mondo!"_  
  
_"Right!  Of course!"_

If Detective Kirigiri backed Detective Oowada- Mondo, Kiyotaka was sure he could be trusted.  Kirigiri Agencies was the best in the business, known throughout the entire country of Japan as a competent detective agencies.  They were personalized, active in their field, and their head Detective was known as a true detective prodigy.  She was the granddaughter of Japan's greatest detective, after all.  She only had experience with the absolute best of the business.

He stepped out of the agency, waving his goodbye to a very busy Makoto as he left the detective agency, and felt the cool air brush against his pale skin.  The weather had been getting worse lately.  By far, it wasn't the worse weather to experience, but it was still unpleasant.

He had about 2 hours to kill before his business class around 1.  Kiyotaka supposed he had enough time to grab himself some lunch, do some light grocery shopping for Chihiro's guest of the week Leon, and return to the dorm to grab his school supplies.  Today hadn't been a bad day, he had to admit.  Sure, reliving the trauma of what happened to him in front of a stranger was quite embarrassing, almost humiliating, but far from the worst he had to experience.  Obviously.

Kiyotaka felt his phone go off in the pocket of his pristine black business pants.  He didn't use his phone often, but kept it on him to contact his roommate and his girlfriend whenever he wanted to know what they were up to.  He fished around in his pockets for the tiny, bulky device, and finally pulled out the damn thing after a few short seconds of having to pull his hand from the tightly sewn pocket.  Damn these pants and their really tight fit!  He flipped open the top screen of the phone and stared at the message screen; Chihiro had messaged him!

**Chihiro Fujisaki: Ishimaru-kun?  Did you leave someone back at our dorm?**

Ishimaru stared down at the phone in bewilderment.  Did he leave someone at the dorm?  He didn't even remembering going back to his dorm at all this morning.  He left around 6 o' clock to catch his first morning class, then went to breakfast with his girlfriend directly afterwards, and then went to his detective appointment.  He was sure he couldn't have left anyone back at the dorms.

**Me: What ever could you mean, Fujisaki-san?  I left the dorm empty when I left this morning!  Why are you asking?**

**Chihiro Fujisaki: There's a girl here.  She said she was waiting around for you?**

She?  Did his girlfriend decide to go back to his dorm after their parting this morning?  She knew where his dorm room was, obviously.  They were partners, and he had invited her inside for tea once before.  But did he ever give her a key...?

Maybe Chihiro left their dorm room unlocked or something.  He would have to give Chihiro a strict lecture whenever he got home!  

**Me: Alright, thank you for informing me.  I'm on my way now.  Make sure to stay around until I arrive.**

**Chihiro Fujisaki: Mhm.  Thank you so much, Ishimaru-kun.  I'll just be working on my AI program.  
**

**Me: Of course.  Be there in a few!**

If it was his girlfriend, that would be convenient.  He was planning on introducing Chihiro to her anyway; how could he not introduce his best friend to his best girl?

Actually, why hadn't he introduced them sooner?  He and the girl had been going relatively steady for...almost a year now.  Although they weren't entirely serious about each other until recently, it was still weird that Kiyotaka had never even thought to introduce them.

He'd worry about that when he got home to his dorm.

* * *

 

Mondo sighed and put his lunch bag on the desk in front of Makoto.  The receptionist jolted in surprise; he had been so invested in his work that he didn't even notice the purple eyed detective sit next to him.

"I took your suggestion.  I bought something fresh on the way to work today," Mondo told him abruptly.  Makoto was still taking a few minutes to get over the abrupt shock Mondo's appearance had given him.  He was packed full with work that day.  Mondo couldn't blame himself for the obliviousness, he guessed

"Oh, you did?  That's great!"  Makoto's mood immediately brightened.  The younger brunette smiled brightly, almost making Mondo's stomach twist with positivity.  Disgusting, but needed after the case briefing he just experienced.  "What did you get?"

"Just some McDonalds.  But a salad.  You know, healthy 'n shit."  Mondo grabbed the bag from it's place in front of Naegi's computer and pulled out it's contents; two salads.  "I got you something too."

"O-Oowada!  You didn't have to!  I can pay you back if you want, it's no problem, really-"

"Just shut up and eat, Makoto."  Mondo had already opened up his package of lettuce and questionable meat contents by the time Makoto had stopped talking.  It wasn't the healthiest food he could have picked up, but hey, it's a salad.

Makoto nodded and picked up the plastic fork Mondo had dropped from the bag.  

The two ate in silence for a small while.  It was a comforting silence.  Mondo had never really been all that social, even when he was younger, so having someone he felt comfortable enough to sit next to in complete silence was exhilarating.  Friends were comfortable enough with each other to do nothing but sit in silence, right?

He had known Makoto since high school.  When Mondo got the job at the detective agency, Makoto was so happy.  He wouldn't admit it, but seeing Makoto for the first time since high school made him happy as well.  They didn't talk much in high school, but Mondo could consider Makoto one of the only friends he had at the time.

Makoto broke the silence.

"Kiyotaka Ishimaru, huh?  He's your client?"

Mondo gave Makoto a stare, food still stuffed in his mouth as he started curiously.  Makoto took in the sight of his cheeks stuffed and laughed against the palm of his hand.  Mondo gulped and cocked an eyebrow at the receptionist.  "You know him?"

"Yeah, definitely.  He was someone I talked to for awhile.  Nice guy.  It's just...a shame of what happened to him."  Makoto placed his plastic fork back into his container and sighed.  If they were friends, then that meant that Makoto knew what had happened to Kiyotaka.  Still, by law he couldn't disclose information, but if Makoto already knew, then...

"How much do you know?" Mondo asked, just to make sure he didn't reveal any sensitive information.

"You don't know what happened last year?  It was all over the news," Makoto muttered, barely understandable, but still audible.  Of course hew knew what happened to the kid a year ago.

"Of course I know.  It was a terrible thing, and I want to beat the shit bag into the ground with my bare fists.  What of it?"

"That's not the only thing that happened," Makoto sighed.  He placed the less than half eaten salad container on his desk and looked absentmindedly down at his clenched fists.  Mondo knew that kind of look.  He, on often occasion, made similar expressions when it came to Daiya.

"The Ishimaru family is really proud.  Very involved in politics.  Torinosuke Ishimaru was the prime minister of Japan just a little over a year ago.  They didn't...want what happened to Taka to ruin their reputation."  Taka?  Not only did he call him by first name, but by nicknames?  "They put government money into hiding what happened to him.  Along with that scandal, and many others, the prime minister was impeached, and his son Takaaki was taken off as head of the police force.  Taka's Harvard acceptance was recalled.  It was a travesty of a situation."

There was definitely more to this story than Mondo had heard.  He felt his stomach drop even more than it had when he took notes about the assault itself.

This poor kid had his entire life ruined.

Mondo vowed to find the damned culprit now more than ever.  Kiyotaka deserved it.

One of the backroom doors opened up, catching both of the men's attentions, and Mondo's eyes laid on Kirigiri's disgruntled and tired form.  She seemed exhausted over something, which was rare for Kirigiri.  She could stay up for days and look like she slept like a normal person.

"Kyoko!" Makoto nearly yelled at the lavender haired detective as she staggered over to the wooden desk.  "You look terrible!  What happened?"

"I'm good, Makoto," she murmured silently.  "Nothing happened."  Her tired eyes told a different story than the one she was telling them.  She was obviously exhausted.  How many cases was she taking on?  The last time she did this was the serial killer case they solved a few months ago. 

Usually passive Makoto put his salad down and stood to face his boss.  "I may be naive, but I'm not stupid.  I can tell something's going on with you.  What's up?"

"It really is nothing," Kirigiri stubbornly said again.  Makoto's looked at her with something Mondo had never seen before; a mix of sternness and concern.  "I'm just grabbing some lunch and getting back to work.  There are more case files for me to look over."  She moved to pass Makoto, but the brunette put his foot in between her legs.

"I won't let you," he stated.  It wasn't a request, it was a full on demand.  "You're obviously exhausted.  I know you're used to staying up several days at a time, but this can't be good for your health, Kyoko.  A good detective needs to be at 100% in order to solve cases correctly."

Her tired eyes scanned over his offensive stance as if weighing his words and what they meant.  Makoto was not naive, as he said, and definitely not stupid.  Mondo knew he would find a way to get Kirigiri to relax, even if only for awhile.

"Fine.  I'll go rest at my desk for a little while.  Happy?" Kirigiri scowled.  She stepped to the left to move past him, but he grabbed her arm to stop her again.  Mondo was starting to feel really awkward about it.

"No.  I want you away from your desk.  Go home." 

"I can't do that, Makoto.  This is my business.  I have _clients_.  I can't afford to do something like that and you know it."  She grabbed the hand holding her arm and squeezed tightly.  "I would appreciate it if you let me take care of myself, Makoto."

Mondo knew it was going to be a long day.

* * *

 

Kiyotaka reached for his keys to unlock the door, only to find it unlocked.  Chihiro was home after all; it wouldn't make sense for them to lock the door when they were inside, after all.  He opened the door and stepped inside his simple flat.

His eyes immediately fell on the black haired, pale, red eyed girl sitting across from his roommate.  She wore the same outfit she had whenever they had gone out this morning.  Chihiro was sitting on one of the smaller chairs, their feet pressed firmly against the floor, and one of the most awkward grins he'd ever seen Chihiro manage.

"Oh, Celestia-san, I wasn't expecting your company this early in the day."

Blood red eyes fell on his, and he felt a shiver down his spine.  She was very pretty, and she held herself well, but her gaze was enough to strike fear in him.  He could feel himself sweat.

"You took longer than expected, Kiyotaka-kun," she mused with a cold expression.  Her thin fingers pressed the tea cup to her lips, taking a ginger sip before lowering the gentle cup to the plate in her lap.  "I was under the impression that you'd be returning to your dorm before your next class to catch up on school work."  Her tone was accusatory, and made Kiyotaka sweat.

That's right.  He had yet to tell her about what happened almost a week ago.  She was his girlfriend, and yet he never told her a word of what happened.  What kind of partner was he?

"Oh, I uh...I didn't leave to do school work," Kiyotaka mustered.  "I had an appointment.  At ten o' clock.  I was going to go to the grocery store, but Fujisaki-san said you were here so I...stopped by to see if you needed anything."

She didn't seem satisfied with that answer, but she seemed to take the bait anyway.  She gave a curt nod and moved to place the teacup and plate on the table.  "I thought I'd stop by so we could talk about our make up date this evening.  You did, might I remind you, leave me at the restaurant rather than take me home like the gentleman I thought you were."

Kiyotaka swore he could see the pacifist Chihiro make a scowl at her comment.  He chose to ignore it.

"Of course.  I promise you, tonight, we can go out to a great restaurant not too far from here.  It's a little formal, but overall nice and-"

"Well, I was under the impression we could go where I wanted.  You were the one who offered to take me on the date, after all."  Celestia nearly sneered.  She had her hands folded in the lap of her dress, her sharp nails barely hidden by the black of the dress fabric.  Even as she sat, poise and perfectly still like a doll, she looked so intimidating.  Perhaps that added to her intimidation factor.

"O-Of course!  We'll go wherever you like!"

"Good.  I'd like to go to Nodaiwa tonight, around 8.  You'll be picking me up of course."

Nodaiwa?  But that was such an expensive place.  He already took her to an expensive breakfast this morning!

"That place is pretty expensive, don't you think?" Chihiro said behind her.  "Dates don't have to be expensive.  Even just spending a night on the couch watching movies should be romantic enough."  He had never seen the brunette so angry before.  Chihiro was always calm, always the voice of reason; seeing his roommate react in such a way was almost embarassing

"I assure you, Kiyotaka wants to go to.  Don't you, Kiyotaka?" Celeste asked, turning her gaze back to her arranged boyfriend.  Kiyotaka stood frozen, his arms at his side, unsure of who to jump to.  In truth, he really didn't want to go.  But he couldn't upset his girlfriend!  Yet he had to stand by his best friend...

"A-although other places would be favorable," Kiyotaka started to say, his voice wavering with anxiety, "i-if you want Nodaiwa tonight, we can g-go."  Chihiro gave Kiyotaka a stern glare.  What had gotten into them?

"Delightful!" Celeste expressed, clapping crossed arms over her chest.  "You're such a great boyfriend, Kiyotaka-kun!"

"A-anything for you," he responded weakly.  With inhuman grace, Celeste got up from her seat and walked over to Kiyotaka's side.  Her eyes fixated on Chihiro again, who was looking away from the sight like it was a horrific car accident.  He would have to talk with his roommate about it later; now was not the time.

What happened next was a ticking time bomb, and was thrown out so suddenly.

"Your roommate threw one of the nice tea cups and broke them while he was working.  He didn't even clean it up, I had to do it myself."  

Chihiro broke a cup?  On purpose?  That seemed so unlike them! "Chihiro," Kiyotaka spoke, a little unsure of what he was going to say.  "I-"

"I did not!" Chihiro nearly yelled, standing up from their seat and slamming their hands on the table.  Celeste winced at the violent act, and Kiyotaka put a reflexive arm around her.  "Ishimaru-kun, I would never do something like that, you know that-"

"I'm...not entirely sure of what happened, Fujisaki-san, but I see no reason for Celeste to lie to me about something like that."  Was that why they'd been acting so weird?  Did they break a cup and not want Kiyotaka to find out?  He didn't care about a broken cup, they were cups, cups could be replaced.  But if they were lying about it, that would be terrible!  Chihiro had always been known for their honesty.

"I'm telling you, she's lying about that!  I would never do that.  On accident, maybe, but I would never throw it!"  Kiyotaka had to admit it seemed out of character, but as he had already said, there was no reason for Celeste to lie about it.  He wasn't sure what to do.

"He's being frightful, Kiyotaka-kun.  If he keeps it up, I'm going to have to leave," Celeste whimpered through a weak expression.  There were tears starting to from in her ruby eyes.  Kiyotaka knew he'd have to remove one of them from the situation.

"I'm a they," Chihiro whispered under their breath.  "And I didn't do anything."

"Again, I am not sure what happened.  But I am sure that it's best for Celestia-san and I to leave for now."  Kiyotaka dropped his protective arm to grab her free hand.  "I'll be back after my afternoon classes, Fujisaki-san."

Chihiro had such an exasperated look on their face.  Their warm honey eyes were wet, almost with tears, and Kiyotaka inwardly winced.  His roommate was crying.  Were they that embarrassed about the broken cup?

The programmer didn't even respond, they just turned back to their work with a defeated, depressed look.  Kiyotaka really needed to talk to them about their behavior when he got home.

Kiyotaka held open the door for his girlfriend in a polite gesture, and she passed him without even giving him a single glance. 

* * *

 

When Kiyotaka closed the door and left, Chihiro felt the tears starting to fall from their eyes.  How could Kiyotaka think they were lying?  His roommate should know, out of everyone in their friend circle, Chihiro was the most trustworthy!

The programmer tried to return to the class project they were trying to finish on their laptop earlier, but they couldn't bring themself to finish another line of code.  What had just transpired left them upset.  Seriously, who did she think she was, trying to get Chihiro into trouble like that?

They weren't sure how to vent their frustrations.  Crying was a viable option, but they didn't really like crying.  Punching something?

Well, he preferred to keep his hands working so he can code, so that was a no.

That's when he felt his phone go off.

 

**11:40 AM**

**Leon Kuwata:** Hey, Chihiro buddy.  What's good?

 

Of course.  Leon would make sure to be their support if asked.  Leon was a really good friend.

 

 **Chihiro Fujisaki:** Oh my god, Ishimaru-kun's girlfriend is such a bitch!

 **Leon Kuwata:** Whoa whoa there short stuff.  Leave the cursing to the big boys.  What's going on?

What's got you so upset bud?

 **Chihiro Fujisaki:** She told Ishimaru-kun I threw a cup.

I did not throw a cup!

She straight up lied to his face about it!

 **Leon Kuwata:** Yeah, what a cunt. 

 **Chihiro Fujisaki:** I know right?  I was completely livid!

 **Leon Kuwata:** You, livid?  Now I know it was serious, ahahaha.

 **Chihiro Fujisaki:** I just wanted to work on this new program, dude.  

She pretty much broke in to my apartment, mind you, and demanded I make her tea.

Ughhhhhh.

 **Leon Kuwata:** Yo who does that?

Have you talked to Kiyo about it?

 **Chihiro Fujisaki:** He took her side!

And then left!

I would love to talk to him about it, but it seems he's picking some random chick's word over mine!

 **Leon Kuwata:**  Oh gross.  That doesn't seem like Kiyo.

Did you catch her name?  I want to know who to beat up and then avoid for the rest of my life.

 **Chihiro Fujisaki:** I did.

Her name is Celestia Ludenberg.

Which is weird because she's japanese.

 **Leon Kuwata:** I'm Japanese and have an American name.

 **Chihiro Fujisaki:** Yeah but you're half Japanese.  Kuwata is a Japanese last name.  She's obviously full.

 **Leon Kuwata:** Huh.  Strange.  I'll look the chick up and tell you what I can find.

Anyway, I was wondering if you'd wanna join Hagadude and I at some party.

It's gonna be wild.

 **Chihiro Fujisaki:** Sure.  Get me so smashed that I won't be able to remember today, even when I'm on my deathbed

 **Leon Kuwata:** Yeet.

* * *

 

The two of them were taking a gentle stroll through Hopes Peak's court yard when Kiyotaka decided telling his girlfriend about his recent sexual assault was best.  They were partners, and if things went well enough, they were going to get married.  Kiyotaka wasn't entirely sure if his heart belonged to her entirely, but she was amazing.  Amazingly intelligent, amazingly beautiful, and overall a decent person when it came to conversation.

Sometimes she got a little intimidating, but Kiyotaka didn't blame her for that.  Sometimes people were naturally intimidating.  He often received those comments in high school, after all!

"Celestia-san," he spoke. They were walking hand in hand, and when he stopped to stare into her face, she stopped slightly ahead of him.  She wasn't much shorter than him, but he still had to look down to stare into red eyes the color of his own.  "I have something to tell you."

"What could it possibly be, Kiyotaka-kun?" she asked in a neutral tone.  Her tone seemed to underlay surprise, but something in her eyes told him that she was already expecting his want to talk.  

"About this morning.  My appointment.  I'm sorry I ran off without you.  I should have told you more about the appointment before I left."  He breathed in, trying to calm his nerves before opening his mouth to speak to his girlfriend.  "I'm currently visiting a detective agency once a week.  I was..."  Kiyotaka gulped.  Here it goes.  "I was sexually assaulted last week, and Detective Oowada was nice enough to help me with my case."

He waited for her reaction, staring right into her eyes, but he couldn't gauge her reaction.  She didn't seem upset, but she didn't seem angry either.  She just looked completely neutral.  Instead of reacting, Celestia pulled her hand away from his, and crossed her arms over her chest.

Did he say something wrong?  Was she going to leave him now?  He shouldn't have told her, he shouldn't have gotten her involved!

"Okay."

That was...all she had to say?  Really?  Was she mad?  She didn't look mad, but she didn't look happy.

She walked ahead of him, not saying a word for him to stay or follow.  After a few minutes of calming his breathing, and trying to keep the tears from falling, he followed after her, a sense of guilt and self hatred forming in his stomach.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Thank you for taking the time to read this; if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to tell me! Comments are appreciated! <3


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